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Own sensors and calibration
The Hub comes with four sensors of its own: GPS, barometer, motion sensor (heel, trim, sea state) and voltage measurement of the onboard supply. With them it records position, air pressure, attitude and supply voltage even on boats without any instruments. You calibrate the motion sensor to its mounting position in the app in two steps: a few seconds at rest in the harbour and a slow circle on the water. All sensors work without a subscription and without internet.
What you get
On board
| Sensor | What is measured | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| GPS | Position, speed over ground, course over ground | Chart, Plotter, logbook, Dashboard; details such as satellites, accuracy and fix mode under Hub Health › “Hub GPS & LTE-NB” (the app still calls Hub cellular “LTE-NB”) |
| Barometer | Air pressure in hPa, plus the temperature inside the Hub housing | Plotter, boat monitoring, Environment history; housing temperature in Hub Health |
| Motion sensor | Heel, trim, sea state index | Plotter, boat monitoring, logbook, Environment; also the basis of automatic engine detection and the trim recommendations |
| Voltage | Supply voltage at the Hub | “Battery Voltage” in the Plotter, boat monitoring, Dashboard and for the battery alarm |
- Monitoring without onboard electronics: For this the Hub has its own GPS. At anchor or in the harbour you can switch off the Plotter and instruments and save power. The Hub determines the position itself and still keeps the anchor watch, geofencing at the berth and boat monitoring active. Only the Hub has to be running.
- The air pressure sensor is checked against the German Weather Service (DWD).
- Sea state index (SSI): It shows how strongly your boat is moving right now and has no unit. The value is specific to each boat: a heavy cruising yacht moves differently in the same sea state than a light, narrow boat. After a few trips you know which values mean calm, comfortable or rough on your boat. Smartboatia also uses the SSI for the trim recommendations.
- You can mount the Hub firmly in any orientation. The calibration compensates for the mounting position.
- If an instrument on board and the Hub supply the same type of data, for example both a GPS position or both the air pressure, you set in the data source order which device applies. By default your instruments take priority.
- Notices in the Plotter (from 1.48.0): If the motion sensor is not calibrated yet, the heel shows “Not calibrated · Estimate only · Calibrate ›”. After step 1 it shows “Heel is estimated · Calibrate”. Tapping it opens the calibration directly. You see the notice on the heel tile in the Plotter, in the centre of the round instruments and as a warning symbol on the heel history of the manoeuvre view. After step 2 it disappears.
- Sensor without values (from 1.48.0): If no data arrives for a reading for a while, the tile in the Plotter shows “Sensor is not sending values” instead of an empty value. This applies to air pressure, battery voltage, heel, sea state, speed over ground and course over ground.
Remotely
- If you connect your Hub to the cloud, you also see air pressure, heel, sea state, voltage and position remotely in the cloud view and in the history views. This also applies to your Boat Buddies. Calibration and Hub Health are only available on board.
How it works
Calibrating the motion sensor
Open Settings › Calibration › Motion sensors. During first setup the setup assistant offers you the same steps under “Calibrate your Hub”. You can skip them there and do them later.
Step 1: Vertical calibration
- The boat lies upright and as still as possible, for example in the harbour.
- Tap “Calibrate”. The measurement takes a few seconds.
- The motion sensor then restarts (“The Hub is restarting. Please wait until it is ready again.”). Step 2 is then released.
Step 2: Manoeuvre calibration
- Choose calm conditions and tap “Start maneuver”. As long as only step 1 is done, the description also says “Fore-and-aft tilt (trim) is not available yet. The Hub reports 0° until maneuver calibration is complete.” (from 1.48.0).
- Sail one slow full circle to starboard and one to port. Several wide turns also work. The app shows the elapsed time.
- Tap “Stop & calibrate”. From this the Hub determines where front, back, port and starboard are.
- Done: “The motion sensors within your Hub are fully calibrated.”
Swapping port and starboard
- After step 1 the Hub estimates the heel. If the side is wrong, tap “Swap Prt/Stb”. After step 2 the side is determined and the button disappears.
Recalibrating
- If you have moved the Hub, tap “Re-calibrate” and confirm the question “Only the Hub’s mounting orientation will be recalculated. No data will be lost. Do you want to recalibrate now?”. Then you do step 1 and step 2 again. Your recorded data is kept.
GPS, barometer and voltage
- No settings needed. The sensors run from the moment the Hub starts.
Requirements
- Smartboatia Hub, firmly mounted.
- For calibrating: app connected to the Hub.
- No internet needed, no subscription needed.
Permissions and subscription
- Subscription: Measurement and calibration are fully usable without a subscription. If you use the cloud, the values also reach it faster with the Standard subscription.
- On board: Everyone connected to the Hub can calibrate.
- Remotely: Owner and Boat Buddies see the measured values, they cannot calibrate.
Notifications
- None of their own. The voltage feeds the battery alarm.
Messages and special cases
| Situation | Message in the app |
|---|---|
| Boat too unsteady for step 1 | “The calibration did not succeed. Try again when the boat is not moving.” |
| Hub not reachable | “The Hub could not be reached. Please check the connection and try again.” |
| Step 1 not possible right now | “Vertical calibration could not be performed right now. Please try again.” |
| Manoeuvre without step 1 | “Vertical calibration must be completed before starting a maneuver.” |
| Manoeuvre already running or everything calibrated | “A maneuver is already running on the Hub, or the sensor is already fully calibrated.” |
| Stopping without a running manoeuvre | “No maneuver is currently running on the Hub.” |
| Evaluation failed | “The Hub could not analyse the collected data. Please retry the maneuver.” |
| Hub software too old | “This Hub version does not support maneuver calibration yet. Please update the Hub software and try again.” |
| Confirmation before recalibrating | “Only the Hub’s mounting orientation will be recalculated. No data will be lost. Do you want to recalibrate now?” (wording from 1.48.0) |
| Motion sensor not calibrated (from 1.48.0) | on the heel: “Not calibrated · Estimate only · Calibrate ›”, tapping opens the calibration |
| Only step 1 done (from 1.48.0) | on the heel: “Heel is estimated · Calibrate”; on the calibration page: “Fore-and-aft tilt (trim) is not available yet. The Hub reports 0° until maneuver calibration is complete.” |
| Reading stays away (from 1.48.0) | on the Plotter tile: “Sensor is not sending values” |
| Sides swapped | “Prt/Stb successfully swapped” |
| Sides swapped, restart needed | “Prt/Stb swap successful but the service could not be restarted. Please restart your Hub for the change to take effect.” |
| GPS without reception | no Hub position; in Hub Health “Satellites in View” shows 0 |
Offline behaviour
- All sensors and the calibration work without internet.
- Your calibration is kept across restarts and updates.
- A running manoeuvre stays active until you stop it, even if you close the app in between.
- After a cold start it takes a moment until the first GPS reception.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calibrate the Hub to its mounting position?
Open Settings › Calibration › Motion sensors. You do step 1 with the boat lying still, for example in the harbour; in step 2 you sail one slow full circle to starboard and one to port and then tap "Stop & calibrate".
The heel shows the wrong side. What can I do?
After step 1 tap "Swap Prt/Stb". After step 2 the Hub determines the side itself, and the button disappears.
I moved the Hub. Do I have to recalibrate?
Yes. Tap "Re-calibrate", confirm and do step 1 and step 2 again. Your recorded data is kept.
Does the Hub also work without instruments on board?
Yes. The Hub has its own GPS, barometer, motion sensor and voltage measurement and records position, air pressure, attitude and supply voltage even on boats without instruments. At anchor or in the harbour you can switch off the Plotter and instruments, and the Hub still keeps the anchor watch and boat monitoring active.
What does the sea state index (SSI) mean?
It shows how strongly your boat is moving right now and has no unit. The value is specific to each boat; after a few trips you know which values mean calm, comfortable or rough on your boat.
Which GPS applies if I already have one on board?
You set that in the data source order. By default your instruments take priority over the Hub's sensors.
Why does the heel show "Not calibrated" or "Heel is estimated"?
The motion sensor of your Hub is not yet fully calibrated to its mounting position, so until then the heel is only an estimate. Tap the notice to go straight to the calibration, and do step 1 and step 2.
What does "Sensor is not sending values" mean in the Plotter?
No data is arriving for this reading right now, for example because the sensor has failed or is restarting. In Hub Health you can see from the status of each service which sensor is affected.